Thomas griffin



T. GRIFFIN. FLOOR CLOTH.

No. 65,904. Patented June 18, 1867.

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IMPROVED FLOOR-CLOTH.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAYCONCERN;

Be it known thatl, THoMAs GRIFFIN, of Roxbury, in the/county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have-invented a. new and improved FlocnCloth; and I do .her eby declare that the following is a full, cleanand exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichi Figure 1 is aview of one side of my improved floor-,ciloth.

Figure 2 is designed to represent a section througl r'a floor-cloth which is printed on both sides so as to be reversible.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothifigures,

The manufacture of floor-cloth 'which is printed in oil when attendedwithconsiderable manual labor, and requires the most experienced workmen to pri nt th e-diil'erent-colorod patterns and have them all in proper order. The canvas which forms the body of the'eloth is first sized and thenpainted on both sides, so as to fill up the interstices and to leave the proper groundwork for the print. The pattern is then printed and the colors laid upon the cloth by means of blocks or types, representing'dii'fcrentfigurcs, colors, and patterns required to produce a given design. I The object of my invention is to produce printed floor-cloth by a cheaper and less laborious operation than that above explained, for which purpose the nature of my invention consists in the application to paper of suitable thickness, of calico, or other woven fabric, which latter is cementedfli pkon one oit'hothfsides of the paper, and caused' to adhere firmly thereto, after which it is strengthened and rendered water-proof by covering its surface with a; suitable oil .or-varnish, as, will be hereinafter described.

The following is a description of one mode of carrying myinv'ention intoefi'ect: I take a sheet of pasteboard of proper 'thickness,size, and strength, and firmly cement on both. sides of it a woven fabric, such as calico, upon which is printed the required figure or design in water colors-in the usual manner of printing such fabrics. When the floor-cloth thus produced becomes quite dry its surfaces are covered with oil or a suitable varnish, which will render the colors of the calico brilliant-aud fi'x them, and also render the cloth durable and impervious to the action of water. The floor-cloth is thuscomposed of; paper, which will give body to it and render it strong and properly still, and cotton eloth, yvhich will 'coverand protect the surfaces of the paper, and upon which the desired print or pattern canbe foi'med' previously to' a'pplying'it tothc paper, or, if desirable, after it has bcenso applied.

In carrying out my invention,-I prefer to have both sideso f the-paper a, covered with printed cloth of different patterns, so that when one side of the floor-cloth becomes considerably worn the other side can be used by simply turning the cloth over. Butone side of the paper only may be covered, if desirable, with printed cloth, the other side being covered with plain or unprinted cloth merely as a protection to the paper.

By my invention I am enabled to produce printed floor-cloths which will be very durable, and which will present the same appearance as the more expensive floor-cloths that are printed in oil colors by manual labor. The covering for the paper can be printed with any desirable pattern in the well-known manner of printing calicos and other cloths, and this fabric can be applied to the rolls of paper by means of machinery suitably adapted to the purpose. I am aware thatpaperstock and manufactured paper have been placed upon woven fabrics, so that the fabric has occupied a place intermediate or between two layers of paper. I also am aware that commonplain' paper made water-proof has been covered with figured wall-paper or painted; but I am not aware that in any instance the woven fabric has been exposed so as to become the wearing surface of the imitation oil-cloth or floor covering. My invention presents the woven fabric on both sides of the paper, and thiswoven surface or surfaces, as well as the edges thereof, together with the edges of the paper. is rendered water-proof in the manner described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire 'to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A floor covering or imitation oil-clcth, made substantially as herein described.

THOMAS GRIFFIN. Witnesses:

FBANUIS Fsssrnnu,

E; A; Hover. 

